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Interested in knowing how to clean your Xbox Series X controller properly? Then you should check out this guide because we’ll show you a thing or two about how to clean your controller properly.
Remember those times when you played FIFA or any game on your Xbox Series X with some friends throughout the night? Or when you played your favorite game non-stop for long periods? Well, your controller has collected too much sweat and dirt from your nasty sweaty palms and needs to be cleaned.
Xbox’s controllers, just like every other device get clogged up with dirt over time and need to be cleaned. Your controller should care for the same way you care for your Xbox Series X console, so it doesn’t get faulty.
Some might say they don’t sweat, or they don’t play with dirty hands. Well, unless you have an air filter in your house, you have dust in your house, and dust can get into your controller and cause it to develop a fault.
Imagine playing against some friends or fighting against the boss of a level and your game controller isn’t functioning properly or stops working completely. That’s one thing no one wants to happen to them.
There are lots of gamers who are guilty of not cleaning their controller ever since the first day they had it. Apart from the fact that dirt can cause your game controller to develop a fault, it’s also unhealthy because the sweat and dirt it collects contain germs.
This is why you should always try to clean your Xbox controller as often as possible to keep it in good shape and also to get rid of germs on the controller. Also, it helps your controller to last longer.
In this article, we’ll show you the steps of how to clean your Xbox Series X controller properly, so you can get rid of dirt, dust and germs stuck on your controller.
How To Clean Your Xbox Series X Controller Without Taking It Apart
To clean your game controller, you need isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol, a cotton swab or cotton bud, a clean microfiber material, and a toothbrush. You should not use disinfectants to clean your controller as they can cause damage to it. Isopropyl alcohol is good enough as a disinfectant.
First, you need to remove the battery of your controller to keep it disconnected and powered off. You don’t want to clean any electronic device when it’s still powered on because it can cause more damage to the device.
After that, dip the toothbrush into the isopropanol and brush the controller. Brush every part of the controller including all the buttons, the analog controller, RT, RB, LT, LB buttons, etc.
You don’t want to be too hard on the controller but, make sure you scrub every part well. You can move the analog buttons around while scrubbing, so you can get to all the edges properly.
Next, press all the buttons to work the alcohol down through the control. Work all the buttons and joysticks well for some minutes to allow the isopropanol to get past the buttons and get rid of all the sweat and stickiness.
Then, dip a cotton bud into the isopropyl alcohol and use it to clean the audio/headphone jack, the USB port, and other parts of the controller which the brush can’t touch. Move the cotton bud around carefully, so you don’t damage anything.
After that, dip the brush into isopropanol and brush the controller for the last time and make sure to brush all the buttons and joystick area.
Finally, clean the controller with a microfiber material. You can dip some part of the material into isopropanol and then use it to clean every part of the controller to get rid of dirt on the body of your controller.
After doing all these, do not attempt to turn on your controller immediately. Make sure you wait for about one hour before fixing the battery and turning it on.
How To Clean Inside Your Xbox Series X Controller By Taking It Apart
To do this, you need a screwdriver, isopropanol or rubbing alcohol, a soft toothbrush, cotton wool or tissue, and a clean microfiber cloth. Cleaning the inside of your controller is more delicate than cleaning your controller without taking it apart. You have to be very careful, so you don’t cause any damage to the controller or damage it completely.
The first thing you need to do is take out the batteries of the container. You shouldn’t open up any device when it’s still powered on or connected.
Next, take out the two side panels or flaps on the side of your controller. They should be easy to remove with your fingernails. However, in situations where they are stiff and difficult to open, we recommend you make use of plastic opening tools or something flat to pry open the side panels. But, you have to be careful, so you don’t damage them.
Then, with a screwdriver, take out the screws on each side of the controller. Also, you’ll find a screw in the battery compartment, under the sticker. Be careful not to apply too much force when taking out the screws, so you don’t damage the plastic.
After taking out all the screws, remove the faceplate of the controller. Then, take out the analog sticks and the back cover of the gamepad.
Clean the faceplate and the back cover with cotton wool or tissue paper dipped in isopropyl alcohol to get rid of any dirt stuck on them.
Then dip a soft bristle toothbrush into isopropyl alcohol and gently scrub the board of your gamepad and every other part on the inside. You have to be gentle while doing this, so you don’t cut any wires or cause any damage to the controller.
Finally, clean every part of the controller with soft microfiber material and then reassemble the controller carefully.
How to Clean Xbox One Controller Without Taking It Apart
You just need rubbing alcohol, a toothbrush, cotton bud, and clean soft cloth material. First, take out the battery of your controller before cleaning it.
Then, dip the brush into the alcohol and scrub the buttons, analog stick, RB, RT, LB, LT buttons, and every part of the controller. Make sure you aren’t too hard when scrubbing. Dip a cotton bud into the alcohol and use it to clean the audio/headphone jack and every other place the brush couldn’t touch.
After that, dip the brush in alcohol again and scrub the pad again gently to get rid of dirt.
Finally, with soft cloth material, clean the gamepad and then wait for about 30 mins before fixing back the battery and turning it on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Can I Use To Clean My Xbox One Controller?
To clean your controller without disassembling it, you need a soft bristle toothbrush, rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, a cotton swab or cotton bud, and a clean microfiber cloth. If you want to disassemble the controller and clean the inside, you’ll need the same material and also need a screwdriver, and some tissue paper or cotton wool.
How Do I Open My Xbox One Controller To Clean It?
To do this, you need to open the side flaps or panels of the controller with your fingers or with a flat tool that can be used to take out the panels. Then take out the screws underneath the panel with a screwdriver. Also, take out the screw in the battery compartment. After doing all this, take out the faceplate and back cover of the controller and then move on to cleaning the controller with isopropyl alcohol, a toothbrush, cotton wool, and a clean microfiber cloth.
How Do You Clean Xbox Controller Joysticks?
You can do this by making use of a toothbrush and isopropanol or isopropyl alcohol. Just dip the brush into the alcohol and scrub all the edges of the joysticks. Move the joysticks around while scrubbing to allow the alcohol to work its way into the edges of the joysticks and break down any sticky dirt.
Final Thoughts
That’s all on how to clean your Xbox Series X controller properly.
We hope you find this guide helpful and hope you begin to clean your controller as often as possible. Do ensure inform us if you’d like to know about anything and also, check for other tech-related articles on our site like:
